“Corning Inc., the maker of glass for Apple Inc. iPhones, said it will probably take at least three years before companies start making flexible displays using its new Willow material,” Bloomberg News reports.

“Companies are yet to come up with products that can take full advantage of Willow glass, which can be made in a roll similar to newsprint, James Clappin, president of Corning Glass Technologies, said in an interview in Beijing today,” Bloomberg News reports. “The product eventually will let companies make curved or flexible displays.”

Bloomberg News reports, “The Willow glass should be used in some simple products this year, Clappin said. Examples may include a flexible barrier for solar panels or as a thin film behind some touch panels, he said… Apple has a team of about 100 product designers working on a wristwatch-like device that may perform some of the tasks now handled by the iPhone and iPad, two people familiar with the company’s plans said this month. Clappin declined to comment when asked whether Corning had any contact with Apple on this project.”

The problem is that while you can make the glass flexible, the circuit board, battery, radio, and other components are not flexible and would likely break if they were bent too much. So much more planning and designing is needed before a flexible phone is ready for the market.